Blood Bound Chapter 1 to 4
by Slayer540
Summary: Scott & Eve are two vampires, Eve must teach Scott how to cope in this new, strange world, little do they know, they've been thrown in at the deep end and find their un-dead lives in a whole heap of s**t very quickly.


**Chapter 1**

_The End_

Awakening to the sound of thunder, his skin crawled. Glancing around he was presented with cold, rancid water lapping against his hand and the distant lights from a usually seething metropolis left abandoned for the night. Turning his head he saw nothing but a high wall and some service steps. The man remembered nothing of what had happened and how he had ended up wherever he was.

His last few days had been eventful to say the least. He had started the week by breaking up with his then girlfriend. Continued by not turning up for work without explanation meaning he was on his last strike. And to top it all, a nice cherry for this rather repugnant cake, he had ended up here, stinking, covered in sewage and various other shit. He quickly concluded at that point he was in the river, tide out but coming in fast.

Still unable to fathom the manner of his situation and the meaning of his whereabouts, he rose slowly to his knees to try and observe his surroundings better. The wall towered above him making him feel pathetic and small, the water was closing in, he had no more than an hour before the tide was upon him and he'd be doomed. He tried to crawl along the ground but he quickly dropped back down face first into the mud out of exhaustion. His vision flickered, going in and out of consciousness before he submitted and blacked out for the second time.

In a club, right in the centre of the city, a girl's head pricked up from the bar, sniffing the air for something obviously far away from the club. She had been many times and could only smell one thing every time, prey. This was different however; she sniffed harder, trying to pinpoint the smell. A man from behind the bar offered her a tissue "You alright E?" He asked, frowning at her. She waved the tissue away "Yeah I'm fine John." She replied "I can smell someone is all."

John was the only person who knew about her, what she was, but even so he laughed incredulously "What, even over all this." He said, sweeping his hand across the room towards all the clubbers she usually couldn't distinguish. "They must be special then." Raising his eyebrow at her.

"Something like that" The girl replied, her mind half paying attention, half deep in thought surrounding the presence she felt. John's expression grew very grim "You're not saying it could be another vampire, 'cause you're enough in here let alone two."

"Oh, don't fret you baby, it's not coming from in here, it's quite far away, near the river I think." She had always had an affinity with her senses, being able to tell you where a vampire is from several miles, usually she tuned it out but this was something different. "I think someone's been turned." She frowned what her senses told her, no-one had been turned in some thirty years, and yet here it was again, the smell of someone undergoing the change from human to vampire, the prize of life at the cost of something hideous.

_I've got to find him, but if I do, what'll I do with him._ She thought this as she left the club, giving John a wave behind her as she followed her nose to the location of the mystery new vampire. She presumed it was a man from the slightly more potent aroma coming from him. She wasn't sure what condition he'd be in when she found him, he could have turned feral or into a savage wannabe vampire lord but she tried not to think about it, for all she knew he could be the perfect gentleman about it, like some of the ones in the novels she read as a child, she doubted that highly though, any experience she'd had with turned vampires was a mess of decomposing flesh and nothing but baser instinct. That was partly why turning was banned; it was deemed to have become too dangerous and risked exposing them to the humans.

She left the bar at a quick pace and tried to pinpoint the man's location once she was outside. A minute or so later, she had ascertained he was by the river, it would take her a while if she walked there, by which time he could be gone, or even dead. She set off at a jog whilst she was on the crowded street, filled with party goers and drunks.

Once she was off the street and into an alley, her pace picked up to almost superhuman levels, leaving a blur of silver behind her. She weaved in and out of blocks through streets, gradually making her way towards her goal. Streaking past several cars and people - leaving a bemused look upon their faces – she began to get excited at the prospect of someone new to talk to, someone she could mentor, she'd always wanted to do that. The joy was soon replaced with nerves and tension which started to curl around her mind, seeping into every joint, making her seize up in the middle of the embankment road.

Stepping back to the pavement on the far side she considered her place briefly, asking herself whether it was a good idea, she'd heard of it going so wrong. Glancing at her watch, a gleaming Rolex she had lifted of one of her victims, she realised that she had an hour before the sun rose and her and the new vampire below the opposite wall would fry. Every part of her conscious mind told her not to go down to the river bed, but her subconscious wouldn't listen to that, neither would it wait for her dawdling conscious mind. This made the compulsion to help the stricken vampire overwhelming in the girl's mind as she found herself crossing the road and looking for the stairs.

When the man woke again he took it slowly, trying first to get his legs move, then to push his body towards the wall to rest against and to avoid the incoming tide. The sound of heels clacking against stone came from just out of eyeshot and caught his attention, craning his head slightly he saw only the thin outline of some legs propped up on heels the length of knives. "Well you're lucky they didn't wait another hour to dump you." A female voice sounded from above him. It chimed out of her mouth and echoed in his ears, an angelic voice with touches of distain and a twinge of fear mixed in, the voice was unfamiliar but somehow soothing to his ears and indeed the rest of his body, making his joints settle and muscles relax, his head drooped to the side and his arms dropped into the mud beside him. The girl tried to stifle a chuckle as she peered down at the shambling mess presented at her feet. She had to admit it wasn't what she was expecting, but it could have been better in her mind.

Crossing her arms as she calmed down "So what's your name stranger?" An innocuous question at any time but an answer simply could not come to the man's lips, half out of confusion but also, half because of her voice, it was mesmerising to him and lingered even after she had stopped talking, rendering him speechless. Eventually the words returned to him "I'm not sure, but more to the point, why the hell am I sitting in the river bed covered in shit?" To him it seemed the most pressing question at this point of his day, but the girl's expression changed, a long frown of irritation spread across her face as she looked down at him.

"I ask again, what is your name?" She said impatiently, all the time checking her watch. Lifting his head up so he could meet her eyes, up past her taught, slim legs, curved torso with dainty arms and hands hanging by its side and his eyes rested on her face, smooth features a curved chin with her flowing jet black hair providing the ever shifting backdrop, he could not see much else of the girl in the early twilight of the morning but he wished he could considering how beautiful she appeared in even this dim light. The man's mouth almost dropped open out of shock, any sense of defiance and wit left his mind in a wings beat, his brain desperately scrabbling for remnants of anything that he was about to say, but without success.

With words obviously failing him, he decided to give her the message with his eyes, aiming to send the most piercing glare her way that she'd run off crying. But when he looked back at her, the only looks he sent her was one of adoration, his eyes softened at even the slightest glimpse of her, making him flush. This time she could not keep a giggle in resting her delicate fingers to cover her mouth as she did so, she knelt down to his height and looked at him intently, her gaze seemed to shoot through his skull as if she was trying to read his mind.

After several minutes studying him with her eyes she stood up on the bottom step to avoid the mud "My name is Eve by the way, nice to meet you." She held out a semi-concealed hand from her sleeve, the man wiped his own on his already ruined coat and took hers as she helped him slide up the wall till he was almost standing. He returned his gaze to Eve's face before fishing through his pockets for anything that might tell him who he was, grasping a wallet from his back pocket he fished through it until he found a drivers licence.

_Name: Scott Townsend_

_DOB: April 13__th__ 1990_

_Address: 103 Acacia Avenue, London_

He handed the card over to Eve, just managing to say "Here." As he did so, Eve's eyes scanned over the cards before she jumped up a couple of steps on the staircase "Come on, let's go here." Scott followed her hand to the address on his card and decided in his head that it was the best, if not only, idea in the current situation. Eve cocked her head at him, obviously confused by his slow actions before clicking her fingers in front of his head "Oi, Scott, you hear me? We're going here, that ok with you?" pointing again at the card before Scott nodded his agreement and she grabbed his hand, pulling him up the stairs.

Eve's hands gripped with surprising strength, Scott barely needed to put any effort into his grip to keep hold, which he thought suited him just fine at the moment. Stepping up onto the pavement, they were both bathed in the street lamps glow; Eve stopped and turned to him "You don't remember what happened do you?" It was a statement rather than a question and Scott had to concede she was right, he could only remember snippets of the last day, getting up, his lunch, nothing that would lead him closer to the answer of how he ended up in the river bed and who this mystery girl was.

"Wait a minute" he muttered

"What?" Eve replied hurriedly

"How did you know I was in the river?"

She faltered and stuttered on her words "erm… I d-don't know"

"What do you mean you don't know?" His voice rising "Did you do that to me, do you think it's some kind of joke!" His speech set his heart rate on fire, in turn making the veins in his neck convulse wildly, Eve looked at Scott's neck filling her eyes with lust for the liquid lying beneath. She bit her lip to supress her instincts, meeting his eyes again she tried to think of how to tell him what happened to him without making him losing his mind. "Well … um … let me think … kidnap … no, erm … maybe … bitten … oh wait … sunlight …" Looking at her watch she began to panic "Look we don't have time for this right now, we have to get inside soon, trust me."

"And why the fuck should I trust you?" Scott asked, jabbing an accusing finger into her chest.

"Because if you don't then you will die. Does that answer your question?" She retorted sarcastically. The words didn't sink into Scott's brain at first "_So I'm supposed to trust this Eve who I don't know, take her back to my place with no explanation or I will die, either I had a fuck load to drink or this is the most fucked up dream I've ever had._" He pondered the thought until it properly registered before thinking through his options. Reluctantly, he decided to accept her words for now, just in the wild case they were true. He had no idea what she was babbling about but it sounded like a mob of some sort, _maybe best to do what she says if that's the case _he thought to himself "Come on then, before I change my mind." Before turning on his heels to find his bearings.

"Yay, so what's your place like Scott, is it like one of those old Tudor style houses or maybe it's one of those modern high rise deals. Aww come on, please tell me" Eve beamed at Scott, jumping around with excitement.

"You know, it's just … normal, kinda what you expect in London, long and quite thin." His reply was quite hazy because he could not remember much about his house right now; he was too engrossed in thinking about mobs, rivers and the strange girl whom he walked alongside. She now looked at him with a sense of annoyance and the un-mistakable crestfallen attitude towards his explanation. "So what does all that garbage mean, I still know nothing of what to expect. For all I know, you've got animals in there." She shuddered at the thought, she hated animals, ever since she had to feed on them for a year, and she had not enjoyed the experience. "Look, I don't really know, I can't remember much, I do know however, that there are no animals." He looked at her curiously as he said this, what she had said to him just seemed so straight forward but so vague at the same time. She responded by sticking her tongue out at him. He smiled at her and continued to walk to his house.

**Chapter Two**

_Heart of the Matter_

Rain spattered the ground as they approached Scott's house, thunder rolling through the night sky, forks of lightning reaching across the clouds. Almost running for cover they reached the door. Stepping inside, Scott looked around to see Eve standing in the entrance. Cocking his head in question as to why she stood in the rain "Oh sorry." She replied "You have to invite me in."

Scott gave her a bemused look "What like you do for a vampire in those crappy films?" He said jokingly. Eve looked deadly serious for a beat before bursting out laughing "Of course not. No I'm just being polite" She beamed at him "Everyone knows that's not how it works" she blurted without realising what she was saying. _Oh, please say he didn't hear that _she thought to herself. Scott's suspicions of the girl about gangs and the like melted from his mind as she said the sentence.

Wild thoughts entered his head. _Fuck, she's going to kill me, or she'll tie me up for info. Oh, shit maybe she's really a vampire. No, they don't exist, do they?_ Regaining some of his exterior composure he looked hard at the girl in front of him. His eyes narrowed to slits and his lips pressed into a line as Eve shut the door behind her. He chose to eye her with suspicion and edged around the room whilst keeping her in eyesight at all times.

At this stage he was willing to believe anything and what Eve said had made a large impact on his logic and reason. His mind screamed out to him that it couldn't be true, that this was all a lie or a dream. But he did not accept this, it seemed too real and she seemed too honest and truthful to be making it up.

"What does that mean?" Making his expression sound cold

"What does what mean?" She asked, feigning un-knowing

"You know precisely what; now tell me what you meant"

Eve's head dropped to the floor, un-willing to see and un-able to gauge his reaction to what she was about to tell him. "It means, Scott, that I'm not what you think I am, and as of two hours ago, you won't be what you think you are for much longer. Do you understand?"

"To be honest Eve, I think I do, but I really don't want to." His expression turned grim at the admission of what he will soon be. "Am I really a vampire Eve?"

"Yes, or you will be in the next couple of days."

"How?"

"Well, I assume you went out, but do you, perhaps, remember being, um… bitten last night?" Her face flushed as she said it, the mere thought was repulsive yet appealing. "Well kind of, I was in this club, just broken up with my girlfriend, there was this woman." He started to struggle as only parts of memory returned, flashes of what, he was sure, was the worst night of his life. "I'm not sure, she came on very strong, she was all over me, and then the only other thing I remember was a pain in my neck and waking up in the river." His face contorted clearly struggling to find clarity in the swarm of flashing bits of memory, nothing was coherent enough for him to grasp, least of all what this stranger in front of him was trying to say.

"Right, then I was correct. OK, this is all going to seem very different to you but I'll tell you what to expect. Oh, you should also know which bits are true and which aren't."

"OK, I assume you mean films?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, you know, what's true and false."

"Can't it all be false?" He protested, his mind wanting to take this information as lies.

"W-Well _some_ of what you hear is false if that's any help." Scott began to regard her words with a degree of caution as she progressed through her vague explanation. "Okay, so what aspects are true?" He asked tentatively, knowing inside what she was going to say. "Sunlight, you can't go out in sunlight, the oldest vampires can but the bloodline became diluted and we became vulnerable to it." She thought through her words carefully. "Also we have fangs and crave blood."

As she answered, she bit her bottom lip revealing sharp canines that pierced the lip, making her wince in pain and making Scott recoil in horror. She licked the blood off her lip to reveal no marks at all, just her perfect, full lips. Eyes widening, he inched closer as if to find it had changed when close up, examining her lips with a glazed intent, he drew his gaze up into her eyes "How did you do that?" his jaw was fixed open and his voice filled with wonder that made Eve blush "Quick healing is also true." She admitted whilst composing herself.

"What weaknesses do we have?" He asked with a hint of worry that Eve picked up on.

"Well apart from sunlight, we are severely allergic to silver, although there is no guarantee that it will kill you. A stake to the heart will kill you, but it would do so to anyone." She smiled at her joke; Scott's face remained gravely serious. "Right." She frowned at him "That's it really, you can still eat garlic bread, go into a church, but I suppose that this would really shake any faith you had."

"I was never religious, didn't work for me." He replied truthfully, trying to remain calm and collected.

So many questions now flooded into Scott's mind, so quickly in fact, he promptly fell back on the sofa stricken with wonder, his eyes sparkling with awe at Eve making her blush again and turn away embarrassed, almost ashamed of what she had just done in front of this man she knew so little and yet was so willing to show her true nature in front of him.

Eve's whole life was spent hiding what she was, one of the last natural born vampires in the country - they had all gone infertile soon afterwards - she had run away from her parents before her aging slowed in her early-twenties, afraid of what she was and what her parents wanted to raise her into. Their bloodlust was insatiable; they had tamed several humans into blood-slaves but none lasted more than a month, the shortest, one day. It was then that Eve realised what her parents were doing was wrong, she wanted no part in it and fled to London.

She tried to avoid the thirst for two years but by the end of it, she was a quivering wreck in her bed, able to do nothing but think of blood seeping into her mouth, caressing all her senses with the taste, sweet like the sweetest sugar, the feel of every last drop slipping down her throat, a bitter iron aftertaste and the sweet ecstasy from the glucose made her feel alive, giving her pleasure beyond anything she could imagine.

She had waited two years too long in her mind, she finally snapped when she cut herself just to feel the blood on her tongue. She had ran to the nearest club and found the first man she could see. Her lust took her over the top; the man had died within a minute, drained dry by the tiny girl at his neck. Afterwards, she had looked upon her first true kill with horror and distain etched into her face, it was there and then, after she had dragged the body through the club, out to the woods and buried it, that she decided to take special care to not kill the people she fed on, to pace her meals and always keep her victims oblivious at the end.

Her features almost frozen at twenty-one from the ravages of time hid the fact that she was in her fifties and, in human years, much older than Scott, but she hoped he didn't actually work that part out, not yet anyway. However, something in her eyes was giving her away, as Scott looked deep into them; he saw wisdom way beyond the age her face suggests. He wanted to ask her, but he knew how edgy women get about age. Trying to skirt the subject without being intrusive he asked tentatively "Does something happen with ageing as well, I mean do it stop or something?" Eve shot a look of malice towards him before replying "Yeah, I suppose it does, well it slows anyway. You don't really notice after a while." She lied complacently, she had begun to notice it twenty years ago and it bugged her constantly ever since, the fact that it would take over fifty years for her to have aged just one made her think how long she would have to live. Not only that, natural vampire's longevity was well known, surpassing several millennia before either age or a younger fitter vampire took their death away from them.

Eve had never called it a life, or if she did then it was around John. The idea of life seemed too far away from her situation to be accepted as the correct notion, her existence was the definition of death, she was dead the moment she was conceived, the toxins in the blood kill and turn even in the womb, and she will always be dead, it seemed like a prison sentence for something she did in her life before whatever this was. The thought always swirled in her head making her sick about what she could have done to deserve this punishment.

Staring back at Scott she heaved an exaggerated sigh and flopped down next to him on the leather sofa, his face telling her that he knew something she didn't want him to, the incredulously smug look of someone who could've solved the third world crisis if he could be bothered. It was a look that Eve desperately hated, but on this man, any expression seemed to endear her.

She turned almost away from him in embarrassment and asked with quite a defeated look on her face "Do you want to know how old I really am?" It was quiet in the small room, but Scott had trouble hearing what she said even with his senses heightening. "Yeah if you want to tell me, because I know for a fact that you're not twenty-one." He admitted slowly being careful with his words, he was wary of her reaction and normally, rightly so. Eve hesitated before conceding what she didn't want to "I'm fifty-four." Her voice was flat and cold, as if she hated the admission.

As she said it she looked for Scott's mouth to drop, but it didn't "if we're born like this." She gestured to herself. "Then we age normally until our early twenties and then it slows to a crawl" A shiver ran up her back as she said it and she curled up in the corner of the sofa, trying anything to hide her face from Scott, ashamed of her age.

From the other side of the sofa, Eve expected Scott to back away and shout, however, all that came was a hollow laugh. She looked up to see Scott gazing at her intently as her eyes met his. However, as she looked she could swear she could have seen a flicker of admiration flash over his sharp, bold features, but she dismissed the notion and cocked her head to question his laugh. "Eve, why are you ashamed of your age?" He replied. "It shouldn't matter to you at all. You should focus on the fact that you look almost exactly the same that you did twenty-three years ago, what possible kind shame is there in that?" She blushed, embarrassed at the very thought of what Scott was saying. She looked deep into his eyes, trying to find any inkling of dis-honesty, but all that stared her in the face was the fact that Scott believed every single word he had said with utter conviction. "Thank you, that's really sweet of you." She beamed at him whilst swallowing the urge to jump on him and kiss him all over.

They had both sat in silence after the last comment. Eve in silent embarrassment, and Scott in contemplating thought. After a while, the silence began to get to both of them, Eve looked at her watch and gasped at the time, the sun would rise in just a few minutes, making them both at risk. Jumping to her feet, she hurriedly closed the curtains and taped up the gaps to prevent any direct sunlight light from entering the house as the sun rose higher into the sky. She looked back at Scott with a satisfied face once she was done and his face was glazed over, bemused as to his new found acquaintance's actions. She replied to his look with one word "What?" After a beat of silence she continued "We turn to ash in daylight, I though anyone knew that. It's in all the films and I told you that you can't go out in it." She said with curiosity.

"Well I don't really watch vampire films or read books, not my thing." He replied, looking very sheepish at what he had just said. Eve's lips curved upwards as she supressed her laugh "You're scarred by them aren't you?" She deduced from the look on his face. "So what if I am?" He replied defensively.

"Well you're going to have to get used to real ones not, even yourself. I mean what do you think you going to be able to achieve as a vampire if you're afraid of your own reflection?"

Scott's mouth opened to question before shutting again. _At least I still have a reflection._ He thought, relieved. "Give me a break. Don't be so vain" Eve said like she'd had read his mind and rolled her eyes. He flinched at her words then settled. "I guess you're right, but I need you to help me, teach me. I don't know anything about what I've been dropped into."

"You're taking this really well" She observed "Usually everyone freaks out when they hear."

"Well I bet most of them hear after they've been kidnapped by the ones who turned them and been locked in a dungeon."

"True … kind of … but even so, don't you feel even a little freaked out?"

"Nope, the way I see it, it's happened can't be helped so make the most of the situation." His words stuck with Eve, the words that articulated exactly what she had ignored all her life. She had always tried to run from what she was, but Scott was right, she had to accept it, especially if he can so easily. _He's right, how can either of us do anything properly if I can't even face myself? I judged him but I'm no better, ooh, what should I do?_

She felt close to crying, fifty years of denial and this strange man had changed that in just one night. She felt helpless, her mind, usually so strong and unfathomable, seemed just so easy for this man to decipher. Scott reached out to her when the tears began to stream down her face as she let go of her emotional restraints. Brushing them from her cheeks with his hand, cupped her face with both his hands and she leant into his them. Her heart fluttered inside her chest for the first time in years, not of necessity, that wasn't always required – only when she really needed healing – but out of yearning for this man, whom she barely knew. At his touch she let out an involuntary sigh. Scott made a hollow laugh and bit his lip in a futile attempt to supress his mutual desire for the girl at the ends of his arms.

The moment suspended, everything around them just seemed to stop, the ticking of the clock behind them became almost inanimate, allowing the most golden of moments to linger, letting those involved remember it for all time. Muted rays of sunlight began to stream through the soft fabric of the curtains, soaking the room with a luminescent glow which slowly covered their bodies, giving Scott his first chance to properly take in Eve's form. She was beautiful, but her beauty was more subtly etched into every aspect of her features. To Scott, it screamed out at him, he saw every part of her and found nothing but perfection. Her hips were slender but with a good curve, her legs, slim and discreet, ones that looked as if they could barely hold up anything under normal circumstances. Her torso covered by a loose hoodie with sleeves which semi-concealed her dainty hands, her chin curved round following a slim line, her lips had vivid peach colour to them which stood out against her skin which seemed to glow in the light. Her eyes though, remained softly closed as she leant into his hand whilst her hair flowed smoothly down her back, resting in the middle of her back.

He looked at her for a second, absorbing every part of her features, savouring the most precious moment he thought he had ever or could ever experience. A pleasurable feeling rippled up from where their skin met and into the rest of his body, making him shiver. Eve felt it too; the sensation flowed through her like nothing she had felt before. It seemed to calm her yet excite her at the same time. She had an inkling that she knew what it was but wasn't sure, she'd ask John tonight. In the meantime, she enjoyed the sensation coursing through her; it was welcoming and even seemed to abate her slowly increasing blood lust. She gasped as the thought reminded her of something.

"You need to feed, and I mean now." Her voice was urgent and concerned.

"Well I am quite hungry, want some cereal?" He frowned at her cynically, what was she on about?

"Look, you're a vampire now, and as such have a blood lust, which is especially large since you're freshly turned."

"And what am I supposed to do about it since I can't go out in daylight?"

"You're going to have to feed from me. Vampire blood is very nourishing for our kind, but ones willing to share are few and far between."

"I'm not going to drink your blood." He protested with a look of disgust etched into his face.

"Sorry, but if you don't feed in the next couple of hours then all newly turned vampires become insane. They can't control themselves and go on killing rampages until they are stopped."

Seemingly satisfied with the response and with no desire to go on a rampage, Scott reluctantly gave in. "OK, tell me what to do then, I don't want to drink you dry." His words were rather blunt to Eve's ears, but did make sense. "Alright, I think you can bite the wrist, the neck takes too much blood and effort to repair." She rolled up the sleeves of her hoodie to bare her wrist; Scott hesitated for a second before moving into her arm. He bit down gently, not wanting to hurt her, as his newly sharpened canines pierced her skin, and blood flowed into his mouth. Hot and silky with taste nothing like he'd ever experienced, it was sweet, sour and bitter all at once and presented what he could only describe as ecstasy on a palate.

He took three long draughts and dis-engaged his jaw from her wrist. He looked up at Eve who seemed slightly paler than before, but still bore a smile and a sense of relief which encompassed her. She took him in as if passing judgment, "There, that all seems in order, how do you feel?" She asked him "I – I feel great, I've never felt anything like that in my life." His face became awe stricken as all his senses began to heighten fully, he could feel everything around him, every sound, smell, sight, It was all there for him to experience.

However, a sudden wave of tiredness blasted though him, all his muscles seemed to relax and his eyes began trying to close. Looking over at Eve, he could tell she was experiencing the same thing. "It's better for us to sleep in the day." She said to him "Our bodies recuperate better, so certain reflexes in our sub-conscious activate. We can still wake if we want to, but it's not pleasant."

Scott noticed her shivering and deduced that the lack of blood made her cold. "I'm fine Scott; I just need to warm up a bit." Had she read his mind? No, what a ludicrous idea, it's not possible. "You got a blanket or something? And yes I did by the way." She made a crooked, teasing smile and stuck her tongue out at him. Scott laughed and a wry smile creped onto his face, he obviously did not like being teased like that. "You wouldn't like it if I invaded your mind."

"No, but it just happens naturally sometimes, promise I won't do it again." Eve made a pouting face at him, a playful plea for forgiveness. A broad grin spread on Scott's face and pulled her into a hard, but not uncomfortable embrace. Again, Eve appeared to welcome the touch, usually skin-to-skin contact repulsed her, but with Scott it seemed … seemed … something she could not find a word for, she only hopped Scott experienced the same feeling as well. "Forget a duvet if you're this warm." She looked up at him "Please, you're so comfortable." The pouting face again, Scott could not resist that look. He stayed silent for a beat and relented, before finally letting his heavy eyes close and he could rest. Besides, maybe this wouldn't have happened when he woke up. "You're wrong you know." The whisper came from beside him. He let out a low growl of annoyance and slept.

**Chapter 3**

_A Storm Is Brewing_

She had observed form a distance as the two vampires had fled to the dryness of his house. She walked onto the street, careful not to let any of the residents see her; she didn't want them knowing who or what she was. Slowly taking in her surroundings she became increasingly disgusted, the detested the whole middle class suburbia nature of the street, every fibre of her nature pleaded her to leave the street. Right now, she'd give anything to be back in the comfort of her blocked off cellar; instead she was here, watching her fledgling begin his new life, one of almost infinite years and very little to fear. She felt a flicker of pride but was replaced immediately by shock, the sun was rising and she had very little time to get either into a house or her bulky bike leathers to block the sunlight.

After some cursing and a lot of effort, she had struggled into her leathers. The curtains to the house had been closed and, by the looks of it, taped up around the seams. _Well he's got ingenuity, can't deny him that_. She thought to herself, the flicker of pride from earlier returning. She dismissed the emotion quickly; she had no time for such things any more. The last turned vampire in the country, she had always been annoyed that she couldn't make any of her own, she had finally given in to her urge to turn after the twenty years since she'd been turned herself.

She had left behind her old life, husband and a one year old boy, given it all away for a life of blood, the concept seemed appealing at first, but no-one had bothered to mention the pitfalls of vampire life, all of which made her very bitter for her situation. Now though, she had finally passed on her affliction to someone else, someone who could also suffer like she had, like she did even in that moment.

_Music thudded though Scott's head, the rhythm pounding at his ear drums, un-willing to relent to his silent pleas for its end. He had come here to forget his troubled end to a relationship he had endured for two years, during which time, he had outgrown the clubbing scene, and the music had left him behind, leaving him cold to this place. Despite that, it was all he could think of to escape his endless mourning of the loss of something he hated more than anything that could happen here. She had called him endlessly, wanting stuff back she didn't own or wasn't sure where it was, It ground him down, he had spent a day curled up in his bed whilst the phone was flooded with calls from his boss, or _her,_ this was his last resort, anything to get away from it, he'd jump at the chance. The song mercifully ended and he dropped himself into a seat by the bar, a woman came through the mass of people behind to sit next to him. She looked as worn out as him, "You want a drink?" He asked her flatly. "You offering?" Her voice echoed with presence and command yet it remained in a pleasant tone. "Yeah, why not?" He turned to the barman "Stella for me, and whatever the lady wants."_

Rain pattered lightly down on the window outside, the sun sent muted rays through the curtains illuminating the house and its occupants with a luminescent glow. The light levels and absence of any sound or movement bar the clock created a peaceful air in the house; one which both Eve and Scott could not appreciate in their inanimate state. Despite this, throughout the house a calm atmosphere made it seem cosy and nice to be in, even if you were a sleeping monster. The two sleeping vampires were undisturbed by anything, locked in their warming embrace, one which most would misconstrue for something else. They remained un-moved by any car passing outside or any footsteps of the people returning from work. Without a sound, they remained as the sun petered down to the west; they would be safe again soon.

Scott was roused suddenly from his dream by a thunderous knock at the door. He immediately jumped to his feet and automatically slid gracefully into an aggressive stance without realising. The reflex action wore off when no immediate threat was detected and let Scott's conscious mind back into the picture, coming to his senses, the door was hammered on again several times before he relaxed and approached the door.

He approached the door, aiming to look through the peep hole to see who it was but he quickly backed off, realising that his eye might melt from the sunlight. Thinking on his feet, he picked up his keys and held them almost up to the peep hole. Looking round it, he could see no sunlight on the key and went again for the door. Mercifully the sunlight had been blocked off by the person at the door as he peered into the peep hole. The sun behind her made it difficult to read her features, the fact she was a 'her' was all he could ascertain. She adjusted the angle of her face slightly, which gave Scott a small glimpse of her. The face he saw was not one he wanted; the light had revealed the face of his ex-girlfriend, Ashley. He went to open the door but stopped himself, realising what would happen if he did.

He glanced back to Eve on the sofa, her eyes fluttering between awake and asleep. Ashley knocked again, harder this time, the sound reverberated through Scott's ears, his heightened senses making his head hurt from the proximity, and he stepped back from the door promptly to escape the noise. Ashley, running out of patience in the rain on the other side, shouted through the door at her ex "I know you're in there Scott! I called at your work; they said you hadn't come in today! Open the fucking door!" Her voice was decidedly irate not good in Scott's mind, to leave her out there would have been the least sensible decision he'd made recently, if not ever. This said something considering he had woken up in a ditch covered in mud, taken a random girl back to his home, which it seemed he was falling for.

Reluctantly, he un-latched the door and sunk back into the shadows before calling "It's open, come in." No sooner than he'd said the words she had closed the door behind her and proceeded eyeballing him with great suspicion "What's wrong with you? You afraid of me or something?" Her tone was harsh and accusing, she was obviously still bitter about being dumped after two years. The thought briefly flitted through Scott's mind before his expression hardened "No, what do you want?" He mirrored her eyeballing, obviously offended by her presence in his house.

Sweeping her arm majestically as if gesturing to an audience "I left some more of my things here after you left me and I want them back. Since you don't seem to want to give me them." Her expression turned to a cold grin. "Are you keeping my thing because you're missing me? How precious of you." Noticing just how cold – and slightly filled with a dark malice - her tone had become, Scott aimed to get her out quickly and began ushering her towards the door. "You have nothing here; if you did I would have burned it along with your stupid flowery bed sheets." His remark was blunt but it seemed effective and she turned towards the door. As her eyes drifted around the room, she seemed not to notice the now awake vampire on the sofa; that was until she double took the view and her usually placid brown eyes lit up with raging fire sending shivers down both Scott and Eve's spines. He quickly realised that she would not be leaving quickly.

Ashley scrabbled for words but all she could do was let her jaw drop as she stared at a girl she had never seen before in her ex's house. No, this is a dream, this couldn't be happening; she had carefully screened all his friends right at the start of their relationship and told him to wipe off any threat to her claim over him, she neither wanted competition or a rebound so he'd come back to her very quickly. She had even screened her own friends after a few months, she cut out any woman in her life that might try and steal him. After a year she discovered that several women had tried to chat up _her _man, he was there for forbade from leaving either of their houses without her. He was her's and no-one would take that from her.

Then, after two years of solid graft on her part, just when she felt content with her relationship, He left her, out of the blue in her mind, when she had almost punched a girl that stared at him for over a second in the street – a second too long – but he had said nothing more about it. Nothing to hint at why she had been left after all the work she had put in. She had later thought of reasons why he broke up with her. Was she too: controlling, lazy, loving, mean, busy, un-helpful, or talkative. She decided after an hour that it was none of those, couldn't be, but she needed to know, that's why she had spent all day chasing every place where he might be to get an answer out of him. He wasn't at the bar he spent a lot of mornings, didn't buy a coffee from the usual vendor, and didn't even turn up for work. This wasn't like Scott; he was never ill or anything, something must be up. So she had decided to go to his house, only to find him with a stray girl off the streets. Someone would pay for this.

As her thoughts straightened only one thing came into her usually lucid mind, and she decided to voice it. "What the fuck is this? And who the fuck is this whore you fucking _bastard_!" She screeched at the top of her voice, threatening to deafen any who drifted too close. Both the vampires recoiled, backing further away as their enhanced hearing taking a battering from the tiny girl's voice. Still without her answers, she tuned to the newcomer in what was her pristine fairytale world, one she wasn't going to give up easily "Answer me bitch, who are you and what the _fuck_ are you doing here!" Eve cowered down again at the sound of Ashley's voice, covering her ears for fear of them bleeding under the strain. "I-I'm a friend of Scott's." She whimpered, terrified and almost crying she tried to shuffle over to the far side of the sofa and then back towards the wall, trying to get as much distance between her and the girl as possible.

Ashley sprinted across the room and grabbed Eve's arms with a vice-like grip that would seriously damage, if not break human bone and slammed her against the wall. "That's a fucking lie bitch and you know it." She hissed menacingly in her ear "Now tell me who you are or I swear to god I'll kill you in front of him." Jerking her head back to indicate Scott. Eve's eyes flashed from the girl in her face to Scott and back again, eyes filled with fear, or what looked like it "I'm serious." Her voice cracked and her breathing, had she needed to do so, would have hitched "I'm his friend nothing more, w-we met a couple of nights ago, I swear, please let me go." Her voice reduced to a whimper as she squirmed under the glare of the person constraining her.

Scott had watched the entire event unfold in front of him utterly bewildered by the situation. He stood static in the middle of the room out of shock and a lack of knowledge of what to do in the situation. Ashley's last remark, however, had jabbed him into contention and he decided to intervene, he didn't want Eve dead or even hurt, although quite how she could kill Eve was beyond him. Still grappling with odd emotions for the strange girl on the end of her ex, he moved forward, grabbing Ashley's shoulder, he spun her round on the spot and fixed his eyes onto hers. He stared deep into her brown eyes and he was fuelled by hate for this woman who had ruined his life for two years "We really are just friends Ash, nothing more, not that it is any of your concern. Now kindly get your stuff and remove yourself from _my _house." Scott's voice was filled with so much authority despite the soft tone that Ashley faltered.

She looked at her ex, confused by his tone and his sudden passive aggression towards her; she momentarily paused, thinking it was a joke he was playing on her and he would, any moment, bag to have her back and they would be fine again. Before her thought settled Scott had decided to make his decision more clear "Leave now woman!" He spat at her shifting Ashley's hair with the air displaced. "Do I have to force you or something!" Her eyes widened with fear at the sudden realisation that he was serious and she ran up the stairs very quickly – for a human – as soon as he released her.

Eve sank to the floor, still in shock at what had just happened. A clattering came from upstairs as Ashley rushed to find something she could take and leave before something else happened. Scott knelt in front of Eve and cupped her quivering face and lightly kissed her forehead, she looked up and whispered "Thank you." He looked her in the eyes and simply replied "No problem." He pulled her into a hug and laid her on the sofa "Sleep now Eve, I'll see she leaves quickly and quietly. Just relax." It was almost like a spell; she closed her eyes and slept almost at his command. _How strange _he thought to himself, looking thoughtfully at Eve's sleeping body.

He stood and turned on his heels as the girl scurried from the stairs to the door clutching possessions of little value to anyone, making Scott curious as to her real intentions coming here. Quickening her pace, she began to mutter "Just friends, my arse are they just friends that bastard." The door slammed shut and rocked on its frame slightly. Scott pretended not to hear and chuckled to himself as he watched her leave. Once she was outside she swore quietly. _This isn't over bitch, I will get my Scott back, and no ten pound whore is gunna get in my way. _She thought to herself and her mind raced with so many ideas and theories of ways to get him back all the way home.

**Chapter 4**

The sun began to dip below the horizon, casing a warm orange glow over the city. The day people, ones with a 9-5, a mortgage and a small family, were all almost home for the evening. The first few night people had begun to emerge from their houses; night people were usually in their early twenties, up to speed with the current music and clubbing scene and mostly slept around a lot.

There are, of course, a few exceptions to this rule, there are the thirty-something's who still want to be cool, the recently dumped, and of course vampires. Some, when turned, remain in their twenties for up to half a millennia, they needed to keep up with the fashions and technology of the time so as to blend in to society. Whilst most avoid human friendship so as to avert the awkward moment when they realise that the person they've known for 50 years hasn't ages more than one in the same time, some choose to keep a few humans close to them, sometimes ones of power to help cover their actions. Others use some humans as business assets, funding projects and the like to make money.

The two in the west London house had woken not long after this, both checking themselves in mirrors to see if they were presentable. Meeting back at the couch they had spent most of the day on Eve announced "Let's go to a club, I need to feed." It was more of a demand than a request but Scott wanted several things cleared up first.

"Who rules the vampires, do you all have a king or something?" He asked incredulously.

"First, you mean _we_" She corrected "And no, not a king, a council meets every so often and gives us what they call 'guidelines' but are more like commandments."

"And what if yo- I mean _we_ decide not to follow them?"

"Then you die, simple as that. It might sound harsh but it has kept us covered for years."

"Can you tell me about them please?"

"But I really want to feed." She huffed, annoyed at his dawdling.

"Tell me and then I'll go with you, promise." He said, smiling.

"Fine." She sighed in defeat

Around a century ago, the vampire population in Europe experienced a sudden boom. The lack of order amongst the community meant the numbers had risen in their hundreds every month. The danger had begun to arise when several vampires were found dead outside their homes, drained of blood and their throats ripped out. A number of the vampires turned in those months had begun to starve, this, in turn, had made them go feral and then start attacking other vampires for blood. Some had also been observed draining wild animals like rats and birds for blood.

The eldest vampires in the continent, sickened by their creations created a council, a small government on a large scale. The original twenty volunteers had been ruthless in judgment of any and all things. They had quickly set up rules and regulations for all eventualities, setting guidelines of how many people to turn in a decade, how many people it's safe to enslave at any one time and how much blood to take to ensure a human's survival. They had chosen to ram their point home with a series of swift judgments for the ones responsible for killing others of their kind. Finally, after a year of planning and debating they had made their council, however, the population was still at a high and posed a serious risk of detection.

The idea of a cull was first put forward by the oldest member of the council, Zarek, a man who had seen over two millennia of blood. He had watched from the shadows as empires rode and fell beneath him, he had explored the world many years before any explorer and had looked upon lands that would not see another humanoid figure for hundreds of years. He had taken his place at the head of the council because of his experience and advanced years and had proved his worth on numerous occasions.

Culling of the rogue vampires, most of whom turned in the last ten years before the council, had begun in August of 1913 and angered lots of the population and a civil war, of sorts, began amongst the population, this had eventually spilled over to the humans when a member of the opposing faction The Black Hand, Gavrilo Princip, had killed an arch-duke. This, in turn, began a war that shook the human world. The war between the vampires raged well into the twenties before the leader of The Black Hand was killed in a tactical strike. After that most of the opposing vampires had defected to the council's side, leaving no more than 50 to round up.

Since the war, only two changes have been made to the group of people in the council; one had retired voluntarily, not wanting to associate himself with any more bloodshed than he already was. The other had died of old age in the forties; her blood simply could not keep her alive any longer. The system they had established had also worked well, up until the seventies. The population was, again, nearing critical mass; they would be un-sustainable within a year. A decision to ban the turning of vampires unless in special circumstances was passed in July of 1975 in an attempt to freeze the population until some began to die and they could afford to re-legalise the turning of people.

"… And that's pretty much it. Aside from the odd law, they've been very quiet since then, I'm not entirely sure why…" Eve trailed off, looking a little distant and wistful. Scott took a few moments to take all the information in. "So it's kind of like the government except stuff gets done?" He asked

"In a way yes, we don't use a dictator because that just doesn't work." She explained "One of the early vampires tried it with all his fledglings but they ended up revolting and killed him."

"What happened to them?"

"Any that had been a vampire for less than ten years reverted, most went mad within a year." Her expression turned grim "Most of them knew it would happen but didn't care."

"Must have been a right bastard then." Scott mused

Eve made a noise of agreement but remained distant and deep in thought. Scott opened his mouth to question but she shook him off. "It's nothing; hopefully you won't have to deal with the council much at the moment." Again his mouth opened, and again he was stopped "Well you're gunna have to see them at some point, I mean you've been turned when it's illegal to do so. They're gunna want words Scott." The idea of meeting the council was deeply un-appealing to Scott, especially after what Eve had told him about them "Any idea when?" He asked

"Not really, could be days, months even. Right now, all I know is it's going to be after I've fed, and I suggest you do too, can't rely on me forever can you?" It was more of a statement than a question and Scott merely shrugged and walked to the door.

The air in the cold November evening was fresh at best; both vampires breathed it in and shuddered. The breathing, whilst not necessary, was used to blend in and not arouse suspicion. Scott however, did so out of habit, he had spent the last 21 years of his life breathing and was not about to stop now. They aimed for the club where Eve spent most of her evenings, she occasionally branched out to a different place but none ever seemed to have as much good blood as John's place.

Neon signs began to appear at the end of the street as they entered the clubbing district, whilst it was only early; many already seemed drunk and wandered the streets to find someone else to serve them. Several men began slurring the words to some obscure football chant as they staggered down the street and almost fell into another bar. Scoot took all of this in and regarded the area with a degree of caution, careful not to look into anyone's eyes; he continued to follow Eve down the street until a small, inoffensive building appeared amongst all the chaos and obscurity that seemed to ooze out of every other building on the street.

_Lovely area. _Scott thought sarcastically to himself as they approached the building. "Hey, don't be so cynical, it's not that bad." Eve retorted.

"You have got to stop that." Scott was becoming annoyed at her little mind reading trick, could he think nothing without her opinion in the matter. "Look, I can't help it, I can normally control it but around you I can't stop myself." Her face washed over with pleading apology "It's really weird with you, it's like … I don't know what, but I just feel so strange around you." Eve blushed, embarrassed at giving away a weakness, of which there were very few. A smile crept up Scott's face, the sight of her blushing made his heart race, he wasn't sure what he was experiencing, maybe he didn't want to know yet. "Annoying isn't it…" Eve commented before realising her mistake "Sorry."

"It's OK, I don't mind as much now I know." Scott answered "Just don't answer any thought you hear." Eve didn't reply as they entered the bar, Scott explored the bar with his eyes, mostly looking for exits if anything went awry. To the left side were two small pool tables and a slot machine all with a thin layer of dust coating them, a small T.V. rested precariously on a stand above the tables, the sport channel was on silent with subtitles to hear the commentator's pointless opinions on things that didn't matter. The bar was situated at the far end of the room with one lone gentleman serving, between Scott and it was an old, scuffed dance-floor which obviously saw much more action than the pool tables. To the right, a smattering of small tables stood almost against the wall, the edges of all were worn thin and several had taken obvious damage from different fights that broke out over the years.

Ten people at the most were scattered throughout the various parts of the bar, most were on their own, but one pair sat in the far right corner and talked whilst both eyed everyone else in the bar with suspicion, one of the men's eyes settled on Scott for a second before he moved on to a woman who entered the bar behind him and Eve. The woman steeled for a table near the door whilst both Scott and Eve headed straight for the bar, Scott's eyes still darting around the room in an attempt to take in every sight and every face.

The bartender smiled at them as they took two stools near the middle of the bar "Heya Eve, nice evening ain't it?" he asked in a surprisingly friendly tone. "Yeah, it's OK I suppose, kinda sparse in here though tonight?" Eve replied in a slightly bored tone, the conversation had obviously been repeated many times. So who's your friend? Is it the one you picked up last night before paying?"

"Oh, sorry about that" She blushed and thrust a few notes into his hand "and if you must know, yes he is the man I 'picked up' his name is Scott. Scott, this is John, he's a friend and the reason I can feed without being caught."

"Pleasure." Said Scott as he reached out his hand.

"No, the pleasure's mine my friend." John replied and shook Scott's hand roughly.

"So how come you let her feed here?" Scott asked, whilst he didn't know much about the vampire world in general, however, he did know that humans weren't usually involved in any of their lives, at least not on purpose anyway.

"She saved my life from a couple of other vampires a few years back, this is my way of re-paying her to be honest." He answered, giving a curt nod towards Eve as he did. Eve's face showed an expression of glazed reminiscence, she was obviously playing the event over in her mind.

Early morning in a usually busy London street, everyone had gone home, the ones who hadn't were either in a gutter, spewing up what they had paid to drink, or were in a police station, arrested for being drunk and disorderly. John, the new guy on the block, had just shut his bar after the first night, business had been a little slow, but he assured himself '_It's only the first night, it'll improve after a while' _He turned the key to lock the door and turned on his heels to leave for his flat a few streets away. He had come here from the west country, no more than a month previously to persue his dream of owning London's premiere bar, but he senced that would take time.

He began to walk towards his safe, warm flat. Above him, the sky had clouded, not that you'd notice at that time in London and little spatters of rain pelted his face in increasing numbers. Two men he had seen stood against a wall as he left had started in the same direction. John, ever the suspicious type took a side road, one going no-where in particular, but one that happened to be quite dark and, for that matter, secluded. The men turned the corner after him, John became quietly frantic, his eyes darted all over the alley, looking for an escape route that wasn't there, he felt no other option than confrontation. John turned to face the men, whom he assumed were a good 30 yards away, only to find them right in front of him. They spoke to each other in a language that John could not understand but which sounded ancient and contained power beyond his and even, it appeared, their knowledge. One of the two, who appeared to be in his mid-twetnies finally spoke in a broken English "You first friend, you need more than me." The second man didn't speak, but instead chose to grab John by his collar, shove him into the wall and sink his teeth into John's neck, the experience was painful, but at the same time, weirdly pleasurable, sending a tingling sensation throughout John's body. After a minute or so of the ordeal, he began to black out, his vision faded and flickered, he knew that this would be his death.

Suddenly, a scream to his left made him a little more alert to his surroundings, he could not see straight and barely noticed when he was dropped to the floor by the second man. A sliver blur encased the second man and he quickly dropped to the ground screaming in agony, a shiny object protruding from his chest. John tried to look for the first man but saw no-one, then as he looked back to the man who seconds previously had been on his neck, John saw his carcass crack and crumble until nothing was left but ashes. A hand took his and supported him as he rose to his feet, the girl spoke in a chirpy voice "Hey, I'm Eve, nice to meet you."

Most of the night was spent with Scott and John's arguments about sport, television and, most heated of them all, music; most of John's taste consisted of whatever filled the charts, meaning he never listened to anything for more than a month, whereas Scott's taste encompassed a wide spectrum but with a special niche for metal and a passionate dislike of rap and it's singers. The two endlessly argued their fruitless case to the other, names of singers and bands firing off like a cannon. Eve had listened in at random intervals every so often, catching sentences like "Maiden defined their genre and most things that followed it." or "Modern rappers have so much soul, all that metal does is scream about death." Of the sentences she heard, Eve found herself in a middle ground, in her 50 years on this world, she had sampled music from every modern decade, from the hippy rock of the 70's to the hard rock and emergence of hip-hop in the 80's, she found something in every genre she liked.

But, after two hours of this argument, she snapped, a little jerk and narrowing of one eye and John, who was in the middle of explaining lyrics, stopped dead, his mouth hung open mid word and arms frozen in the gesticulation he was performing. Scott turned to look at Eve, puzzled at John's reaction, he went to say something as he turned but stopped when he saw her face, whilst not obviously in rage to most, both men knew instantly that she was pissed. Eve spoke in a tone of stifled anger which was said almost through gritted teeth "Thank you for that … lovely debate you provided, but you both seem to be forgetting why I brought Scott here. He needs to learn to feed without killing, and after what I've just endured, I wouldn't mind a bit myself. Now then, kindly shut the fuck up and we shall get down to business."

The command moved John away to serve some customers at the far side of the bar whilst Scott immediately rose and fell into step beside Eve. He chanced a look at Eve, whilst she appeared to have called a little, she was still on edge, he thought better of talking.

Eve gave herself a few moments to compose herself, she felt immensely embarrassed at this outburst, whist she never blushed, she felt her body temperature rise slightly and hastily began the task at hand.

"Right, now's as good a time as any so let's get started." She tried un-successfully to smile.

"OK, so what exactly do I need to do?" Scott asked "I can hardly go up to someone and ask for some of their blood, can I?" His assumption, whilst correct, reminded Eve just how much of this world he didn't know and how much she needed to teach him.

"No, of course not." Her smile went better this time. "To start with, you need to know this, every vampire, from the weakest to the strongest, has the ability to lure it's … meals to them." She explained "We can also remove the un-pleasant memory given to them and replace it with one they'll like, hopefully." She smirked to herself at this last remark, memory of the thoughts she planted still ingrained in her spotless memory.

"So how do I do that then?" Scott asked

"It's easy, but it's hard to explain to you, so I'm gunna have to show you." Eve told him, within an instant another man came over like a trained dog, directly to her side. "Over here, in the corner." She told both men, the stranger obeyed instantly but Scott wavered.

"Come on Scott, it's the darkest place in this room and I don't think we can all fit in a toilet cubicle can we?" She explained authoritatively "This is the only way I can do it and you can see what to do now come on."

Eve lead both men over to the corner and sat on the worn, broken leather seat. She motioned for the two to sit, Scott opposite on a small stool and the strange man next to her, both did as instructed before Eve began talking.

"Scott, what I've just done is manipulation, to do it, make eye contact with a person you want to feed from and think very hard 'come to me' you got that?"

Scott nodded

"OK, right this is the easy bit if I'm honest and doesn't require explanation." Almost before the last word was spoken Eve was around the man's neck, her hands held him down by the wrists to keep him still and she bit down, the tips of her teeth piercing a vessel next to the artery in the neck of the man. He began to scream but all that came out was a gurgling sound followed by silence.

Eve finished feeding and releaced hold of the man's neck before grabbing his head with both hands. Her face the contorted slightly, as if she was pushing something at the man, as she did this, a slight shiver brushed Scott and left quickly. The man, whose wounds had now healed completely, left as soon as his head was releaced and returned to his friends.

"I think you felt what I did, but it's basically the same as manipulation, but it requires contact because it's a lot more complex."

"Yeah I felt it, I have to admit it was pretty impressive what you just did."

As Scott spoke these words, the two men who were examining them when they entered crept up behind them. Eve noticed them and her face emptied of any colour and she gestured for Scott to shut up.

From behind him, a single word echoed around the bar "vampire!"


End file.
